Wednesday, April 4, 2012

SAVITRIBAI PHULE

The first women known in the
Indian history which lived and died for the social upliftment of down trodden
was born on 3rd of January 1831 in Naya Ganj , Tehsil Khandala
,District Satara of Maharashtra. Her name was Savitribai. Her father’s name was
Khado Ji Nevse Patil. At the time of her
birth , no body could realize that the small ray of light which had descended
on the earth in the form of Savitribai shall become a torch bearer for many,
who were suppressed, illiterate, ill fed , ill clothed and a lightening for
suppressors and oppressors inflicting tyranny in the name of caste and sex, on
millions belonging to their own country and religion .

At the tender age of 9 years in 1840, she was married
to a great social revolutionary Jyotirao
Phule, who was then 13 years old. The union of two small lights later
emerged as a big Light House for millions of their fellow countrymen and pulled
them out of their ignorance, illiteracy and ill treatment meted out to them by
upper caste Hindus. They jointly fought for
the down trodden people of India to live with dignity keeping
spine erect. Jyotirao Phule, later affectionately called
Mahatma Jyotirao Phule proclaimed that illiteracy the ill of all ills
causes lack of intellect which in turn causes lack of moral which results in
stagnation, promoting further loss of riches and fortune which caused fall of Shudras. So
ban of education to Shudras in Brahminical literature caused their all round
degradation, so he gave preference to impart education to Shudras for their
over all upliftment.

The Education to Savitribhai was imparted at home by her
husband, who had passed his Secondary Education Examination in 1847 from
Scottish Mission High School Poona and had decided not to accept any job under the
government. On reading Paine’s famous
book “The Rights of Man” revolutionized the young mind of Jyotirao Phule and he
in turn influenced the tender mind of Savitribhai, who also took oath to help
her husband for Social Revolution even at the cost of her life and comforts.

They jointly opened the very first Girl’s School in 1848
against the vicious campaign launched by orthodox upper caste Hindus for such
an act of the Phule couple, as education to girls was coded as unlawful in the
laws of orthodox Hindus, although they claimed to possess the most
knowledgeable books called “VEDAS” but practically treating Shudras & women
worse than animals. No upper caste Hindu teacher came forward to teach in this
newly opened Girl’s School in which untouchables girls , besides Hindu Girl’s
were admitted. Therefore, Savitribai was appointed as Headmistress of this
school on I st January 1848 by Jyotirao Phule. This school was run
from the house of a Brahmin in Budhwara Peth, with majority of Brahmin girl
students. The orthodox Brahmins raised a great hue & cry against carrying
on women education including those of Shudra girls, which stood banned by the
Hindu scripture. As soon as Savitribai came out from her house to go to school,
people would throw on her cow dung and mud spoiling here dress, which she
washed at the school and at her residence. But ill treatment meted out to her
by upper caste Hindus did not deter her from her strong convictions and she
carried on with the noble cause for the social change. She, instead , opened
another school on 15th
May 1848 in untouchable’s colony and it was run by her widowed
sister –in-law (husband ‘s sister) Smt.
Suganabai. On this again the reactionaries, raised objections and threatened
Govinda Rao (Jyotirao ’s father) with dire consequences, if, he failed to
dissociate himself from the activities of his son & daughter-in-law.So he
asked the couple to leave his home as both of them refused to give up their
missionary endeavor. Both shifted to a
Muslim Mian Usman Sheikh’s house. Smt.
Fatima Sister of Mian Sheikh known as first Muslim women teacher of 18th
century, started educating Dalit children in this school opened by a Dalit
couple. This was an extremely difficult task during those days of Brahmin
domination in government and social circles, but Savitribai did it by dint of
her courage, determination, intelligence and her commitment to the cause of
Dalit upliftment through spread of Education the only road to their
empowerment.

Jyotirao Phule blamed the British Government for spending
profusely a large portion of the state revenue on the education of the higher
castes, which resulted in monopoly of all higher offices under the Government
by the Brahmins. The dedicated couple wanted to break this monopoly so as to
prepare the down trodden masses for struggle of having equal rights as human
beings in their own motherland. Jyotirao Phule for the first time , made strong
demand in memorandum submitted to Hunter Commission in 1882 for free & compulsory education to all.
This plea was accepted on the instance of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and incorporated in
the Constitution of Free India in 1950.

Widow re-marriage was banned then and the child marriages
were very common among the Hindus including Brahmins. Many Hindu widows
resorted to Sati (burning of the bride with the dead body of their husbands) in
full public view. Many women got
windowed in their young age and not all of them could live in a manner in which
orthodox people expected them to live. Some of the helpless widows resorted to
abortion or left their illegitimate children to their fate by leaving them on
the streets. Out of pity for them Jyotirao Phule established on orphanage,
possibly first such Institution founded and funded by a Hindu. The Phule couple
gave protection to pregnant widows and assured them that this orphanage would
take care of their children and Savitribai Phule Shouldered the responsibility
of managing the orphanage. It was in
this orphanage where a Brahmin widow named Kashi Bai gave birth to a boy
in 1873 and the Phule couple adopted new born as their son and heir giving him
name as

Yashuwant, who was given education to become a
qualified doctor. During 1876-77 famine she feed and cared about 200 children
with the help of her doctor son free of cost. She was a great source of
strength to her husband.

Savitribai was not only an educationist but a great
philanthropist, social revolutionary, writer and poet. Perhaps she was the
first Indian woman revolutionary who worked against all odds for the
emancipation of week and downtrodden women & children. Her poetry book
first published in 1854 was titled as “KABYE PHULE” In one of her poems she
makes out that the British succeeded in establising their rule in India due to
denial of Educational opportunities by the Aryans to the original inhabitants
of India. During various invasions the 85% of the population were made mute
spectators when their motherland was
occupied forcibly by the foreign
invaders, for which nobody else but Brahmins and caste system were responsible. When she was told by her
brother to follow the path shown by Bhats (Brahmins) she rebuked him by telling
that she was following the just path being followed by her husband and she
could not be blind follower of Brahmins like her brother. She also tauntingly
said to him, “Go and love the cow and the goat and offer milk to snakes on
Nagpanchmi,, even then the Brahmins shall turn you out of Puja Sathal branding
you as untouchables. This shows her strong conviction and will power, when actually she was very poised
lady having her heart filled with love for all.

After the death of her husband in November 1890, she
successfully managed for seven years the affairs of “SATYA SHODAK-SAMAJ”
established by her husband to look after the needs of unfortunate children.

During the spread of Cholera in Maharashtra
in 1897 she opened a number of helping centers for all sufferers in rural and
urban areas. She used to carry patients personally to the clinic of her son
Yashuwant, who cured hundreds of them free of cost.

While carrying
personally a cholera ridden Mahar boy to the clinic of her son and to get him
admitted there, she got infected from the Mahar boy and she died of cholera on the 10th of March 1897.

We salute the iron lady who struck hard to break the shackles of religious progeny,
caste and dynasty to establish social order of Universal Brotherhood. She was
first Indian women leader, who worked for the upliftment & dignity of women
& children and was a staunch opponent of orthodox laws including
Untouchability. She was mother to helpless orphans, a teacher to illiterates
and solace to ill and suffering masses. She deserved to be honored as “Mother of Women Education in India”

She is even now a source of inspiration for establishing
a rule based on equality, justice and fraternity. Let us draw inspiration from
her life& works and re-dedicate ourselves for the service of down trodden
and Dalits besides those sections of society who are deprived of equal opportunities
of life.